Hot water heaters and control valves therefor



3 SheetsSheet 1 INVENTOR. FRANK E. OBERMAIEK Aug. 19, 1958 HOT WATER HEATERS AND CONTROL VALVES THEREFOR Filed A ril 18, 1956 by AT TORNEY Aug. 19, 1958 F. E. OBERMAIER HOT WATER HEATERS AND CONTROL VALVES THEREFOR Filed April 18, 1956 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 N UHm INVENTOR. FRANKEcJbERMAIEK by b ATTORNEY Aug. 19, 1958 F. E. OBERMAIER HOT WATER HEATERS AND CONTROL VALVES THEREFOR Filed April 18, 1956 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 FIG.4.-

INVENTOR. FRANK E- CJFbEIZMAlEK i A'r'rorzueve Me Ev) HOT WATER IEATERS AND CONTROL VALVES THEREFOR Frank E. Oberrnaier, Oak Park, Ill., assignor to The Dole Valve Company, Chicago, 111., a corporation of Illinois Application April 18, 1956, Serial No. 579,001

Claims. (Cl. 236-79) This invention relates to improvements in hot water heaters and control valves therefor.

A principal object of the invention is to provide a hot water heater and control valve controlling the flow of hot water through the core of the heater in accordance with temperature conditions, constructed with a view toward utmost efliciency in operation and simplicity and compactness in construction.

A further object of the invention is to improve upon hot water heaters and their controls by mounting the control valve and thermostatic control as a unit on the core of the heater with the thermostat in the path of the flow of hot air through the heater core.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a unitary, control valve controlling the flow of hot water through the core of a car heater in which the control valve is controlled by a thermostatically controlled vacuum control valve carried by the flow control valve as a unitary part thereof.

Still another object of the invention is to improve upon hot water heaters and simplify the construction and control thereof by mounting the flow control valve on the core of the heater in fluid communication therewith and by controlling the flow of hot water through the heater core by a vacuum control valve thermostatically operated and carried as a unitary part of the flow control valve in the path of fiow of hot air through the heater.

These and other objects of the invention will appear from time to time as the following specification proceeds and with reference to the accompanying drawings where- Figure l is a plan view of a flow control and thermostatically operated vacuum control valve mounted on the core of a car heater showing the thermostatically operated vacuum control valve in the path of the flow of air through the core of the heater;

Figure 2 is a view in side elevation of the core and valve shown in Figure 1 showing the flow control valve in fluid communication with the core of the heater;

Figure 3 is an end view of the valve shown in Figures 1 and 2, showing the valve connected to the core of the heater; and

Figure 4 is a vertical sectional view taken through the valve.

In the embodiment of the invention illustrated in the drawings, a variable volume flow control valve is carried on a core 11 of a hot water heater for an automotive vehicle in fluid communication with said core for controlling the circulation of hot water therethrough. Air is forced through the core 11 of the heater to be heated thereby by the usual fan (not shown). The valve 10 carries as a unitary part thereof a thermostatically controlled vacuum control valve 12, controlling operation of the valve 10 and varying the delivery volume of said valve in accordance with the requirement for heat.

The valve 10 is shown as having an elongated body 13 generally cylindrical in form and closed at one end thereof and having an outlet 15 leading from the wall of States Patent said body adjacent the closed end portion thereof. The

valve body 13 may be extruded or may be formed from sheet metal and has an enlarged diameter dished end a portion 16 forming a seat for a diaphragm 17, retained thereto by an end cap 19 engaging the marginal portion of said diaphragm and secured to the edge of said dished portion by spinning or otherwise forming the marginal edge portion of said enlarged diameter dished portion over the edge of said end cap.

The valve body 13 has a seating member 20 pressed therein into engagement with a shouldered portion 21 of said valve body and forming a seat for a tapered valve 22 controlling the flow of hot water from an inlet 23 leading through a wall of the body 13 through a port 24 in said seat out through the outlet 15 into the core 11.

The valve and valve chamber within valve body 10 are sealed from the diaphragm 17 by asealing diaphragm 25 having sealing engagement with an annular sealing groove 26 formed in a stem 27 forthe valve and retained to said stem by a retainer collar 29 pressed or otherwise secured to said stem. The sealing diaphgram 25 is retained to a shouldered portion 30 of the enlarged diameter dished portion 16 by a retainer plate 31 conforming generally to the form of the dished portion 16 and abutting at its outer edge the underside of the annular marginal portion of the diaphragm 17 and retained to the dished portion 16 of the valve body 13 by the end cap 19 secured to the opposite side of the diaphragm by the forming of the edge portion of the enlarged diameter portion 16 thereover.

The diaphragm 17 is abutted by a diaphragm plate 310! and is secured to the retainer collar 29 and valve stem 27 by the forming of an end portion 32 of the stem 27 into engagement with the diaphragm plate 31a. A spring 33 biases the valve 22 into engagement with the seat 20. A vacuum outlet fitting 35 is sealed to the wall of the cap 19 and has communication therewith to expel air therefrom and create a vacuum therein, moving the diaphragm against the bias of the spring 33 and moving the valve 22 away from the seat 20 to accommodate the supply of hot water from the inlet 23 through the outlet 15.

The valve 22 has a tapered valve face with a flexible valve member 36 on the end thereof movable along the orifice 24 to vary the flow of hot water through said orifice in accordance with the position of said valve with respect to said seat and orifice under the control of the thermostatically operated vacuum control valve 12.

The vacuum control valve 12 is shown as having a vacuum output connector 37 connected with the vacuum outlet 35 and the chamber formed within the end cap 19,

by a flexible connector 39. The vacuum control valve 12 also has an outlet 40 leading therefrom which may be connected directly to the intake manifold of an internal combustion engine, which may serve as a source of vacuum. The vacuum control valve 12 may be of a form similar to that shown and described in my application Serial No. 567,126, February 23, 1956 so need not herein be shown or described in detail.

The vacuum control valve 12 is controlled by a bimetal thermal element 41 as in my prior application, which serves to equalize the vacuum at the vacuum output connector and acting on the diaphragm 17 in accordance with the temperature of the air forced through the core 11. The temperature and vacuum may be controlled by a cam 43 operated by a Bowden wire or like control within the passenger compartment of the automotive vehicle, as clearly shown and described in my prior application Serial No. 567,126.

The operation of the valve 22 is thus effected by the vacuum within the vacuum chamber underneath the cap 19 under control of the thermostatically operated vacuum control valve 12, to supply hot Water to the heater core 11, as required to maintain the temperature of the air forced through the heater core at the temperature setting of the thermostat 41.

Thecore 11 is shown as having an end wall 45 having recessed portions 46 and 47 therein, and having an outlet 49leading downwardly therefrom for the return of hot water from the heater to the radiator (not shown) of the internal combustion engine propelling the vehicle. The recessed portion 46 is adapted to receive the body 13 of the valve and has an inlet opening 50 therein in communication with the core 11 and conforming to the form of the outlet from the valve body 10. A flexible grommet or seal 51 is provided to seal the outlet 15 to the inlet 50 to the core 11 (see Figure 2). The recessed portion 47 is adapted to receive an inlet pipe53 for the valve 10, connected with the inlet 23 and extending laterally therefrom and turning into parallel relation with respect to the body 13. A strap 54 is shown as being secured to the portion of the pipe 53 extending parallel to the body 13 and as extending therefrom over the body portion 10 and generally conforming to the form thereof and extending laterally beyond said body portion, and forming a means for maintaining the inlet pipe 53 and body portion 13 within the recesses 46 and 47 of the end wall in connected relation with and in fluid .communication with the inlet into the core 11. As herein shown, bolts 58 extending outwardly from theendwall 45 on each side of the recessed portion 46 are adapted to I core 11 and has a plate 61 extending from the vacuum.

control valve 12 and secured to the bracket 60 asby machine screws 63, for mounting said vacuum control valve on the variable volume flow control valve 10 in the path of the flow of hot air through the heater core-11,

and forming'a unitary variable volum flow control valve and temperature responsive vacuum control valve therefor for operating said flow control valve to vary the volume of hot water supplied to'the heater in accordance with temperature requirements;

It may be seen from the foregoing that a simple and compact heater control valve has been provided in which the usual mounting for the valve on the engine block has been eliminated and saving in space has been attained by mounting the valve directly on the heater core in fluid conducting relation with respect thereto.

It may further be seen that the valve and the mounting therefor positions the thermostatic vacuum control valve controlling the operation of the valve and the volume, of hot water delivered to the heater in direct association with the hot air stream passing through the heater core, and thus renders the temperature responsive vacuum control valve more responsive to changes in temperature of the air passing through the heater than formerly.

It will be understood that modifications and variations of the present invention maybe effected without departing from the spirit and scope of the novel concepts thereof.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a hot water heater having a water circulating core and adapted to have air forced therethrough and heated by the water circulating through said core, a variable volume flow control valve controlling the flow of water through said core in accordance with the temperature requirements and having a vacuum chamber therein and a diaphragm closing an end of said vacuum chamber for setting said valve in accordance with temperature requirements, a thermostatic vacuum control valve controlling the vacuum in said vacuum chamber in accordance with the temperature of the air flowing through said core, means mounting said thermostatic vacuum control valve on said variable volume flow control valve as a unitary part thereof, and means for mounting said flow control valve on said core in fluid communication therewith and positioning said temperature responsive vacuum control valve in position to sense the temperature of the stream of air delivered through said core, comprising a bracket securing said first valve to said core and maintaining said thermostatic vacuum control valve in heat sensing relation with respect to said core.

2. In a hot water heater having a core for the circulation of hot water therethrough, a valve controlling the flow of hot water through said core and having an elongated valve body, an inlet pipe extending parallel to said valve body and leading into said body through the wall thereof, an outlet leading from said valve body throughthe wall thereof, a seat within said valve body betweensaid inlet and said outlet, a valve movable with respect to said seat for controlling the flow of hot water from said inlet to said outlet and varying the flow in accordance with the position of said valve, said core having anend wall having spaced recessed portions extending therealong, an inlet to said core through one of said recessed portions, an outlet from said core, said recessed portions forming receptacles for said inlet pipe and said valve body, clamping means securing said inlet pipe and valve body to said receptacles, and a grommet sealing said outlet from said valve body to said inlet through said recessed portion and maintained in fluid communication with said inlet by said clamping means.

3. In a hot water heater and control means for the flow of water therethrough, a heater core, a variable volume flow control valve controlling the flow of water through said heater core and having an elongated valve body, an inlet pipe extending parallel to said body and opening thereinto, an outlet through said valve body, said heater core having an end wall having a pair of parallel spaced recessed portions therein forming receptacles for said valvebodyand inlet pipe, an inlet into said core through one of said recessed portions, an outlet fromsaid core in spaced relation with respect to said inlet, a grommet sealing said outlet through said valve body to said inlet through one of said recessed portions, and means securing said inlet pipe and valve body to said recessed portions and maintaining said outlet from said valve body in fluid communication with said inlet to said core through said grommet.

4. In a hot water heater and control means for the flow of water therethrough, a heater core, a variable volume flow control valve controlling the flow of water through said heater core and having an elongated valve body, an inlet pipe extending parallel to said body and opening thereinto, an outlet through said valve body, said heater core having an end Wall having a pair of parallel spaced recessed portions therein forming receptacles for said valve body and inlet pipe, an inlet into said core through one of said recessed portions, an outlet from said core in spaced relation with respect to said inlet, means securing said inlet pipe and valve body to said recessed portions and maintaining said outlet from said valve body in fluid communication with said inlet to said core comprising a grommet and a strap secured to said inlet'pipe and extending over said valve body, and means securing said strapto. the end of said core and clamping said valve body thereto'in sealing engagement with respect to said grommet.

5. In a hot'water heater and control means therefor, a heater core'adapted to have hot water circulated'there through for heatingv air forced through the open cellsof said core, a vacuum operated variable volume flow control valve controlling the circulation of hot Water through said heater core, a temperature responsive vacuum control valve controlling operation of said flow control valve and carried by said flow control valve as a unitary struc ture therewith, said flow control valve having an elongated body, an inlet into said body having an inlet pipe leading thereinto and extending parallel to said body, said core having an end wall having a pair of parallel spaced recessed portions therein, an inlet into said core through one of said recessed portions, an outlet from said core through said end wall in spaced relation with respect to said inlet, means sealing said inlet into said core to said outlet from said valve body, a strap extending over said valve body and said outlet pipe, and means clamping 15 2,668,014

said strap to said end wall on opposite sides of one of said recessed portions for maintaining said valve body to said core in fluid communication therewith, and a bracket mounting said vacuum control valve on said valve body and maintaining said temperature responsive vacuum control valve in the flow stream of hot air through said core upon registry of said valve body and inlet pipe with said recessed portions.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Koch Jan. 18, 1916 Hans Nov. 11, 1952 Lund Feb. 2, 1954 

